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Scientists Baffled By Giant 2.5 KM Asteroid Rotating Every 4 Minutes
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News18•13-10-2026, 19:46
Scientists Baffled By Giant 2.5 KM Asteroid Rotating Every 4 Minutes
- •University of Washington scientists discovered asteroid 491384, which is about 2.53 kilometers wide.
- •The colossal rock completes one rotation on its axis in a mere 4.18 minutes, defying the scientific spin barrier of 2.2 hours.
- •The asteroid was detected using new software developed by Dmitry Vavilov and his team to analyze data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.
- •Experts believe the object cannot be a weak pile of rubble and must possess extraordinary internal strength to avoid disintegrating at such speeds.
Key Questions Answered
Asteroid 491384 is approximately 2.53 kilometers wide and completes a full rotation on its axis in a remarkable 4.18 minutes.
The spin barrier is a scientific limit stating that asteroids larger than 150 meters should take at least 2.2 hours to rotate. Faster rotation would normally cause these rubble pile bodies to disintegrate due to outward centrifugal forces.
Scientists used fresh data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile and developed specialized software utilizing Fourier series mathematical models to analyze sunlight reflections off the spinning asteroid.
